Acceptance and commitment therapy for public speaking anxiety: A self-help format

A non-concurrent multiple baseline design across eight participants was used to determine whether working through Hayes and Smith's (2005) book would help those with public speaking anxiety. Hayes and Smith (2005) is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It encourages people to accept internal experiences as opposed to avoiding and struggling with them. For the purposes of this study, the book was divided into nine components, which participants discussed with the researcher. They also completed measures daily, during baseline and over the intervention period, as well as a battery of tests pre-baseline, mid and post intervention. The multiple baseline data showed that self-reported willingness to approach public speaking situations increased while self-reported avoidance decreased over the intervention. The pre and post measures also showed avoidance of internal experiences decreased significantly after the intervention. These outcomes are in line with changes suggested to result from engaging in such a therapy. The pre and post results also showed that quality of life increased significantly from mid to post-intervention. However, engagement with values did not change. While this measure is expected to change after such an intervention, this result may have occurred because the ideas about values were introduced last in the book. The intervention also led to significant decreases in anxiety, significant changes in thoughts about public speaking and significant increases in anxiety control as shown by the test battery. These findings are positive but are not predicted by processes posited for this therapy. However, there was no control group so these pre vs post comparisons must be interpreted with caution. Despite this limitation, the results suggest that the book, together with therapist contact, can help those with public speaking anxiety

Evaluating Methods for Optimizing Classification Success From Otolith Tracers for Spotted Seatrout (\u3ci\u3eCynoscion nebulosus\u3c/i\u3e) in the Chesapeake Bay

Identifying the natal sources of fish is an important step in understanding its population dynamics. Adult recruits are often sourced from multiple nursery areas, with good quality locations contributing disproportionately more fish to the adult stock. Because population persistence is strongly influenced by nursery habitat, methods that correctly identify the source of recruits are necessary for effective management. Within the last decade, otolith chemistry signatures have been increasingly used as a natural marker to delineate fish from a mixture of nursery sources. Despite the widespread use of otolith trace element and stable isotope ratios as habitat markers, the statistical approaches to handle these data have been slow to develop. Limited guidelines have been offered for constructing the discriminatory function in terms of the number of chemical variables used, the information conveyed by each variable, and the overall stability of important variables with time. Almost all studies argue that juvenile signatures must be collected anew each year at considerable expense. In this study, Rao\u27s test for additional information was used to identify the most useful discriminatory variables for identifying the nursery seagrass habitats for spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in Chesapeake Bay. Additionally, Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Bayes information criterion (BIC) were used to select the discriminant function analysis (DFA) model that minimized the prediction error for determining provenance of adult fish. The AIC technique was also used to construct a short-term multi-year habitat tag for the Bay. Variable selection using Rao\u27s test show that classification accuracy was heavily dependent on the type and number of variables used in the model. Barium was the most important variable and it was the most stable variable over time. From the AIC model selection, adult fish were correctly assigned to nursery area with over 94% accuracy within-year, while the AIC multi-year tag accurately identified the source of historical collections of adult fish with over 80% classification accuracy. These results show that by using correct statistical approaches to construct the discriminatory model, the probability of misclassification for subsequent survivors is minimized. Additionally multi-year models can be developed, directing research for other species

An unusual cause of gynaecomastia in a male

Summary: Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (βhCG) is normally produced by syncytiotrophoblasts of the placenta during pregnancy and aids embryo implantation. However, it is also secreted in varying amounts in non-pregnant conditions commonly heralding a neoplastic process. We present a case of 50-year-old man, who presented with bilateral gynaecomastia with elevated testosterone, oestradiol, suppressed gonadotropins with progressively increasing levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Biochemical and radiological investigations including ultrasonography of testes, breast tissue, MRI pituitary and CT scan full body did not identify the source of hCG. FDG PET scan revealed a large mediastinal mass with lung metastasis. Immunostaining and histological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of primary choriocarcinoma of the mediastinum. It is highly aggressive and malignant tumor with poor prognosis. Early diagnosis and management are essential for the best outcome. Learning Points: High βhCG in a male patient or a non-pregnant female suggests a paraneoplastic syndrome. In the case of persistently positive serum hCG, exclude immunoassay interference by doing the urine hCG as heterophilic antibodies are not present in the urine. Non-gestational choriocarcinoma is an extremely rare trophoblastic tumor and should be considered in young men presenting with gynaecomastia and high concentration of hCG with normal gonads. A high index of suspicion and extensive investigations are required to establish an early diagnosis of extra-gonadal choriocarcinoma. Early diagnosis is crucial to formulate optimal management strategy and to minimize widespread metastasis for best clinical outcome

[Review of] Arthur Dong (Producer), Sewing Woman

Married at thirteen years of age to an unknown husband, and pregnant two months later! How could her parents allow such a horror to happen? Zem Ping Dong would soon understand the Chinese way: to accept fate and do what must be done, regardless of the cost

Epidemiology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Florida – Part I: A Statewide Report

The increasing incidence ofhepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become a burgeoning public health problem. The effect has been most notable at liver transplant centers. Traditional reports of liver cancer include many non-HCC variants. This study aims at determining the incidence of HCC in the state of Florida, utilizing data from Florida Cancer Data Systems. This study pertains exclusively to HCC. Of 2,296,794 cancer cases, 4,447 HCC and variants were identified (68.7%). Incidence rates were as follows. The incidence of HCC in the state of Florida was 6.1 cases /100,000 population/year; Male: 9.6/100,000 population/year vs. Female: 2.7; Whites: 6.5/100,000 population/year vs. Blacks: 5.3; Hispanics: 4.6/100,000 population/year vs. Non-Hispanics: 6.5. Limitations of the study included lack of etiology of liver disease, treatments and survival. The classification of tumors and under-reporting in the database are also concerns. The study elaborates on guide- lines for screening and diagnosis ofHCC. The incidence ofHCC in Florida in this study was three times higher than previous reports from 2 decades ago. This is the most updated study reporting the incidence of HCC in Florida, although data was 5 years old. The incidence of this cancer is expected to continue to increase over the next decade. The study is a preamble to so- cioeconomic and county studies currently being performed at this liver transplant center